$ff9|2-Wyrd Sisters






$fb8|1-The Play



The Caxton Theatre, Grimsby.
30th January 1998.

$9f0                          Reviewd by Dr.Dick.

$dffAs I stood in the bar of the Caxton on this cold January night, ordering
my  half-time drinks and discreetly examining my fellow theatre-goers, I
pondered   how  well  such  a  complexed  and  humourous  book  -  Terry
Pratchett's "Wyrd Sisters" - would be translated onto the stage.  I have
read  said  book  several  times, and seen the animated release shown on
Channel Four, but never read or seen the play itself.

The  story, as regular Discworld visitors know, is a complete farce that
vaguely  follows  the  lines  of MacBeth.  In this version, good king is
killed  by evil duke, king's son escapes to travel with theatre, witches
meddle  and  son  returns to usurp evil duke, with humourous interludes,
and probably divers alarums as well.  Lawks.

Taking  place  against  a plain black stage with minimal props, the play
took  a couple of scenes to warm up, but once it got going it I found it
absorbing  and  delightfully  funny, with only the major deviations from
the  original  book causing any sudden drop back into the real world for
me.   The  actual  witches  themselves were scarily accurate, you had to
wonder  where  they'd been found.  Granny Weatherwax - possibly the most
difficult  role  in the play - was perfect, and Eleanor Mooney as Magrat
Garlick  was absolutely spot on.  What Gytha Ogg lacked in character was
more than made up for in mannerisms and articulated gestures.

  <WITCH>    "Lawks!  My poor old heart."
  <TOMJOHN>  "Your poor old heart what?"
  <WITCH>    "What about my poor old heart?"

In  my opinion, the only failure was of the cast not getting deeper into
their  character's  psyche.   It  was painfully obvious that they hadn't
read  the books or understood how the individuals thought and acted, but
given  that  they  were performing the play and not the book (if you see
what  I  mean),  this  can hardly be held against them.  Still, it would
have  been  a  lot more fun if some of the deliveries and mannerisms had
been a little more suitable for the books' scenes.

  <GYTHA>    "Would you like a Walnut?"
  <GHOST>    "No thank you, they go right through me you know..."

Granted,  by  the time his article goes out the play will have been long
finished  (Last showing is tonight, 31st January), but if ever a theatre
group  in  your area plans to stage "Wyrd Sisters", make sure you go, or
you'll kick yourself.

$8f0Dr.Dick

$fffend